A 35-bed Alzheimer's patient facility is one step closer to fruition today after the City Council voted unanimously to approve its special permit request Tuesday night.

The facility, which is proposed by Monarch Homes of 13 Wheeling Ave., will be located at 859 Main St., next to two other proposed projects: the St. Anthony's Parish Center and a condominium complex.

"We received a favorable recommendation from the Planning Board," said attorney Joseph Tarby, adding that the council's special permits committee also approved of the request. "Some amendments were made [and] the petitioner has no problems with the amendments."

According to the committee report, some of the project amendments include: installation of isolated fire hydrant valves; a catch basin on the facility's property; a driveway at least 24-feet wide; vertical granite curbing along the driveway from Main Street into the facility's parking lot; and a $25,000 payment for roadway improvements by Monarch Homes.

Ward 6 Alderman Michael Raymond said the project is a good thing for the city.

"We have seen a lot of work on the project itself, and there are a lot of goals—goals for the city, the church, and the neighborhood," said Raymond. "We have made compromises and the compromises we have made, any compromises we have made over the last few years [will have] little or no effect on the health and welfare of the residents of North Woburn."

Other items

The City Council also approved the special permit of a new auto parts store at 394 Washington St. at its Dec. 21 meeting.

According to the special permits committee report, the store will not be able to have more than four commercial vehicles parked in its lot overnight and no auto repairs can be performed on site.

The council also voted to put a $25,000 traffic study proposal before the ordinances subcommittee. The study would look into trucking routes in the city.

"I'd like to know what the $25,000 is going to cover and in what detail," said Ward 5 Alderman Darlene Mercer-Bruen, adding that she would like City Engineer John Corey to attend the subcommittee meeting to explain the proposal.

Ward 2 Alderman Richard Gately said the trucking study is a "great idea."

"We should be jumping all over it," he told the council Tuesday.